Solar concentrators concentrate large areas of incident sunlight into smaller areas. Solar concentrators find use in a variety of devices, including solar thermal devices, which use the concentrated sunlight to generate heat. Other devices include light separation devices, photon-gas reaction devices, devices to separate or isolate discrete wavelengths and devices for light synchronization and intensification. Depending upon the temperatures achieved by solar thermal devices, the heat can be used for a variety of purposes, e.g., commercial and residential heating of air and water, water sterilization and electrical power generation. Parabolic trough designs are one type of conventional solar concentrator used in solar thermal devices for electrical power generation. These designs include elongated parabolic mirrors aligned with the north-south axis of the earth. The concave surfaces of the parabolic mirrors are aimed toward the sun and are rotated to track the sun as it moves across the sky. Receptacles filled with heat-transfer medium run along the length of the parabolic mirrors at the focal point. Sunlight reflects off the parabolic mirrors and concentrates at the surface of the receptacle, thereby heating the medium within. Conventional solar concentrators, including parabolic trough designs, suffer from one or more of the following drawbacks: cost of materials, manufacturing and maintenance; less than desirable efficiencies in concentrating sunlight; and a need for tracking mechanisms to maintain the alignment of the concentrator with the sun.